1. Technical Field
Aspects of embodiments according to the present invention relate to antennas. More specifically, aspects of embodiments according to the present invention relate to antennas that plug into printed circuit boards (PCBs).
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
The prior art for the technology of low cost plug-in antennas, or antennas that connect to a chassis (e.g., a printed circuit board), either a discrete chassis or an array chassis, do not address all of the unique challenges. One problem is the high cost of fabricating and assembling antenna arrays using many of the prior art approaches, such as soldered connections, which do not lend themselves to low cost assembly using pick and place machines. For example, some designs need expensive connectors, which make them impractical for cost sensitive applications. Other designs do not offer wideband antenna efficiency, or sufficient bandwidth, or proper signal direction to provide the capability to be used in a phased array antenna.